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SOCCER; A Long Road to M.L.S. For MetroStars' Villegas

Susana Villegas used her savings to send her only son alone from Ecuador to live with friends in New Jersey to pursue the American dream 12 years ago. The dream of 13-year-old Petter Villegas, however, was to play soccer. Since there was no professional league when he came to the United States, Villegas wanted to return home soon after he arrived.

The young Villegas missed soccer and his mother and two sisters. But Susana Villegas, a single mother struggling to provide for her daughters, told him he should stay.

''She kept telling me to be patient and everything would be fine because there was absolutely no hope for me in Ecuador,'' Villegas, now 25 and a MetroStars midfielder, said after a recent practice at Kean University in Union, N.J. ''I had no family here, but I was fortunate to live with good people.''

Villegas lived with the Cabezas and the Zavalas families in northern New Jersey before he joined Major League Soccer and became a regular with the MetroStars. But he said he was especially grateful to the Rev. Edwin D. Leahy, the headmaster of St. Benedict's Preparatory School in Newark, who took Villegas under his wing as a freshman.

Villegas followed in the footsteps of Tab Ramos and Claudio Reyna, who had made St. Benedict's famous for soccer. Ramos (North Carolina State) and Reyna (Virginia) played for college soccer powers and both became stars for the United States national team and played overseas. Ramos, the first player signed by M.L.S., is a standout for the MetroStars. Reyna is a member of Glasgow Rangers in Scotland.

But Villegas did not play Division I soccer. He went to Division III Kean because he had little money and he knew Coach Tony Ochrimenko.

''Petter wanted to be a professional player all his life,'' Ochrimenko said. ''I'm so happy to see that he's developed so well and his dream has come true. He stayed in school for a year and then joined M.L.S. I give him a lot of credit for what he's done with his life.''

Villegas played briefly with the MetroStars in 1996 before joining the Imperials and the Stallions, two of the MetroStars' developmental teams. When Octavio Zambrano was named coach of the MetroStars last year, Villegas started to blossom. Zambrano made Villegas a regular, starting him in 27 games last year. He had five goals and six assists last season.

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This year, the 5-foot-7, 140-pound Villegas has started every game for the MetroStars (5-1-1), and he is improving so rapidly that it would not be surprising if he was called to play for the national team of Ecuador.

Alex Comas and Pedro Alvarez, MetroStars teammates who come from Colombia, said Villegas had been playing so well, he deserved a chance to play for Ecuador.

''He hasn't reached the roof of his soccer yet,'' Alvarez said through Ernesto Motta, the MetroStars' director of Spanish broadcasting and Hispanic affairs, ''But he's getting there. He is in tremendous form right now and he deserves a chance with the national team.''

Comas said, ''He's going through some great moments right now.''

Villegas has three goals this season, including the game-winners in the MetroStars' past two games, both at Giants Stadium. On Saturday night, he scored the only goal the MetroStars needed in the 53rd minute of a 2-0 victory over the Los Angeles Galaxy. On May 5, he scored in injury time to cap a three-goal rally in the last 11 minutes for a 3-2 triumph over D.C. United.

''He continues to be a work in progress,'' Zambrano said of Villegas. ''He has improved his soccer every year. If I had to rate the technical ability of our guys, he'll be in the top three. I think we haven't seen the full package from him yet. It's particularly gratifying for me to see him do well because I took some flak about him, and I'm glad I stuck with him. I think he's a tremendous player. There are some tactical issues there, but he is so good technically. I think the strength of his game is in his unpredictability.''

One thing is certain about Villegas. He has used his earnings from soccer wisely. He had a house built for his mother in Guayaquil, Ecuador, and he has his own place in New Jersey.

And he is playing professional soccer.

''Dreams do come true in America for people who come from the third world,'' said Zambrano, a native of Ecuador himself. ''I think Petter is an American success story.''